Tips for making a professional Actor's Showreel
An acting showreel, alongside your headshot and resume, are one of the holy trinities you need to win auditions as an actor.
And winning auditions should be your most important goal.
But wait, surely winning roles is more important than winning auditions?
If you’re starting, your goal should be meeting and auditioning for new casting directors and gaining repeat auditions from them. Your career as an actor depends on casting directors thinking of you when a new part comes in.
Few roles last forever, and after every role ends, you will inevitably return to the auditioning process. So getting new auditions regularly keeps you in the running for that next role.
So what do casting directors want to see from a reel? And what practices will create the best opportunities when someone important sees them?
Length
How long should your reel be?
2.30 minutes to 3 minutes. No more.
But what if you’ve got more to add?
No one watches a reel for more than 3 minutes anyway, so keeping your reel to this length forces you to use the best content.
Is there a minimum length?
I would say 60 seconds is a reasonable amount of time if you only have one thing to add. Stick around for later in the article to discover some tips on how to bulk it up.
Opening 5 seconds
Should you cut straight to the content or show your headshot?
I would recommend cutting straight into your performance. Some reels have a short 5-second intro, including your headshot and text such as your name, spotlight pin and agent. But it isn’t necessary. Ensure your Spotlight link is easy to find, such as in the YouTube’s description, and the opening text won’t be needed.
DON’T use music
Don’t cut to a montage of you to music. It is a common mistake and a pet hate of casting directors. There is nothing to learn from seeing your face to a pop song. Cut straight into the acting.
How long per scene?
Thirty seconds to a minute is a reasonable amount of time per scene. Casting directors can generally tell your casting and skill in the first 5 seconds anyway, so 30 seconds to a minute is plenty of time to show your acting in the scene.
Ideally, after a minute, it’s time to show what else you can play in the following scenes.
What types of scenes to get from a paid showreel service?
If you are looking to pay for some scenes for your showreel, make sure you ask for these kinds of scenes:
If these are your first scenes, make sure to get scenes suitable for your casting bracket. Think about what age you look and what parts you can feasibly play. Some actors use showreel scenes to try new things and show range. This isn’t what I would advise.
Showreels are the opportunity to introduce your casting and how you come across on camera. A common mistake, for instance, is young actors casting themselves as older characters. Always stick to your casting.
Don’t cast yourself in famous scenes or roles as you will immediately draw comparisons between yourself and the renowned actor who portrayed them. Instead, find small parts from lesser-known pieces, or write your own. You can also request showreel providers to write a scene for you, so make sure to make your casting clear.
How to make your reel longer?
Casting directors like to see monologues. If you need your reel to be a bit longer, finish on a monologue. You can shoot this on your iPhone as the quality isn’t essential; the casting director will use this as an opportunity to see how you would audition in a self-tape.
What can I edit my showreel on?
The best app for editing your showreel is iMovie. It’s super simple, and there are plenty of tutorials online.
Another app is Premiere Pro, which you can download on a 30-day free trial from Adobe. It’s much more complicated than iMove, so unless you already know how to edit, I wouldn’t recommend it.
Final Cut Pro is a more professional version of iMovie and is more affordable than Premiere Pro. If you can find the time to learn it, it will come in great handy for updating your reel in the future.
Finally, Davinci Resolve is a free piece of professional editing software similar to Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro. It is challenging to start with, but if you’re up for the challenge, there are hundreds of tutorials on YouTube.
If you’re looking for a new showreel, please click LEARN MORE to review some of my work and pricing. You can book with me via this link…